Cushion securing device

ABSTRACT

The present invention comprises a weighted apparatus, with a non-skid bottom, that uses an attachment device, a clip in this embodiment, to secure itself to pillows, blankets or other furniture accessories for the purpose of maintaining the positioning of decorative pillows (or other furniture accessories) on low friction furniture surfaces such as leather, pleather and vinyl. The invention is non-damaging to both the pillow and the furniture.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application derives priority from U.S. provisionalapplication Ser. No. 62/566,728 filed Oct. 2, 2017, the contents ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The invention relates primarily to fastening means for furniture. Morespecifically, the present invention is a securing mechanism formaintaining the position of pillows or other decorative objects onfurniture while maintaining the intended aesthetic appeal of the pillowon the furniture.

Description of the Background

Leather, pleather, vinyl and other forms of low friction, smooth,material are used frequently for the upholstery of both home andcommercial furniture. Decorative pillows or other decorative items,upholstered or otherwise (for example, blankets, stuffed animals, remotecontrol holders, and the like), are often placed on the furniture toenhance the appearance of the furniture or decor of the room. Typically,but not always, these pillows are placed upright in the corners ormiddle of the furniture. Inevitably, due to the low friction of both thepillow/decorative item and the furniture surface, the pillow will slidefrom its intended position on the furniture. This often results in apillow that was originally placed upright sliding down until it's flaton the seating surface of the furniture.

Because pillows fail to stay in the intended position many people eitherabandon using pillows on furniture with low friction upholstery likeleather, pleather and vinyl and the like. Alternatively, many peopleresort to “home remedies” such as tape or safety pins to secure pillowsor other decorative items the surface of a sofa or other piece offurniture. However, these types of attachment means can permanentlyalter or even damage the furniture and/or the pillows or otherdecorative items. When considering the cost of both the pillows and thefurniture, such as leather couches, it's obvious that these potentiallydamaging “home remedies” are less than desirable. Moreover, suchattachment means may prevent the pillow or decorative item from beingeasily moved from place to place on a given piece of furniture or fromone piece of furniture to the other because the “tackiness” of a stickysolution such as tape may wear out over time or over multiplerelocations, and repeated placement and movement of a safety-pin typeattachment means may provide additional opportunities for the attachmentmeans to damage the furniture and/or pillow surface, not to mention thatsafety pins and the like are small, can be dangerous to children, andpets if accidentally opened, and can be difficult to repeatedly open andclose by people with limited dexterity, such as people with arthritis ofthe hand.

In addition, decorative pillows and other items are often used aselements of decor with a specific end “look” envisioned by the homeowner(or business owner, decorator, etc.). Therefore, any remedy formaintaining the placement of a or other decorative object in a givenposition on a piece of furniture should he invisible when the pillow orother decorative object is in place on the furniture.

Previous solutions have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No.2,591,306 to Sherman discloses a method for maintaining a pillow in adesired position on a seat, back for home or automobile use. However,Sherman's solution requires a strap that leads from the back of thecushion over the top of the back surface of the seat, which is thenanchored by a weight dangling from the other end of the strap at theback surface of the seat back as shown in Sherman's FIG. 4. Such aconfiguration involving may detract from the visual appeal of the pillowon the furniture (i.e., the strap running up the back of the seat)and/or may provide an obstacle or hazard based on the placement of theweight, which may, i.e., be subject to snagging by passers-by or pets,resulting in the movement of the cushion, or which may prevent thefurniture from being placed in a certain position in the room, i.e.against a wall, to allow the weight room to hang.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,708,475 to Krewson suffers from a similar issue in thatit requires a flexible strap (34) to extend over the seat back of thefurniture in question in order to properly secure the cushion, therebyalso detracting from the visual appeal of the pillow on the furniture.

What is needed then is a non-damaging means for securely attaching apillow or other decorative object to a piece of furniture whilemaintaining the position of such pillow or object on a desired locationon the furniture.

It would also be an improvement over the prior art if such an attachmentmeans was invisible to the eye while in use securing a pillow or otherobject to a piece of furniture.

It would also be an improvement over the prior art if such an attachmentmeans was capable of being moved from place to place on a given piece offurniture to secure the same or a different pillow or decorative objectin a different location on said furniture or on another piece offurniture easily, without causing damage to either the pillow or thefurniture, and without losing its ability to securely fasten the pillowor other object to the furniture over time.

It would be a further improvement over the prior art if such anattachment means was capable of use by people with limited dexterity anddid not provide a snagging or catching hazard for passers-by, pets,children or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, there is provided a secure, non-damaging, movable means forattaching a pillow or other decorative object to a sofa or other pieceof furniture, especially those upholstered with low fiction, smoothmaterial(s).

In addition, there is provided such an attachment means which isinvisible to the eye while in use securing a pillow or other object to apiece of furniture.

In addition, there is provided such an attachment means which is capableof being moved from place to place on a given piece of furniture tosecure the same or a different pillow or decorative object in adifferent location on said furniture or on another piece of furnitureeasily, without causing damage to either the pillow or the furniture,and without losing its ability to securely fasten the pillow or otherobject to the furniture over time.

Moreover, there is provided an attachment means for, securely attachinga pillow or other decorative object to a piece of furniture that iscapable of use by people with limited dexterity and did not provide asnagging or catching hazard for passers-by, pets, children or the like.

The secure attachment mean according to the present invention comprisesa non-skid, weighted anchor mechanism for securely attaching a pillow orother decorative object to a piece of furniture without damaging eitherpillow or furniture. The anchor means adheres to the pillow or otherdecorative object with an (optionally) removable attachment means suchas a clothes hanger or other clip, and maintains the position of thepillow in an upright position on the surface of a given piece offurniture adherence of the weighted, non-skid port on of the inventivedevice to the furniture surface. Once in place the weighted'structurecombined with the on-skid surface will keep the pillow in its intended,original placement.

The foregoing objects, features and attendant benefits of this inventionwill, in part, be pointed out with particularity and will become morereadily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference tothe following detailed description of a preferred embodiment and certainmodifications thereof when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view of an improved cushion securing device according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of an improved cushion securing device accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of an improved cushion securing deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the improved cushion securingdevice according to the present invention shown as attached to adecorative pillow.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the improved cushion securingdevice according to the present invention shown as attached to adecorative pillow and fixed on a piece of furniture where the improvedcushion securing device is hidden from view to the naked eye behind thepillow.

FIGS. 6 is a side perspective view of the improved cushion securingdevice according to the present invention shown as attached to adecorative pillow and fixed on a piece of furniture where the improvedcushion securing device is hidden from view to the naked eye behind thearm of the piece of furniture.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of an improved cushion securing device accordingto an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a top view, with inset of the clip detail, of an improvedcushion securing device according to an alternate embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 is an exploded side view of an improved cushion securing deviceaccording to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side perspective view of the improved cushion securingdevice according to an alternate embodiment of the present inventionshown as attached to a decorative pillow and fixed on a piece offurniture where the improved cushion securing device is hidden from viewto the naked eye behind the arm of the piece of furniture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Collective reference is now made to FIGS. 1-3 which illustrate theinventive cushion securing device in isolated view. As shownparticularly in FIGS. 1 and 3, the cushion securing device comprises abody portion 15 which is preferably formed from two comparably-sizedround elements (a top 7 and a bottom 10, respectively) joined at theirouter edges along all sides thereof to form a device body 15 that isround when viewed from the top (FIG. 1 and has a nominal thickness Twhen viewed from the side (FIG. 3). Body 15 is preferably so formed suchthat it can be weighted by, i.e., being filled with a filling materialhaving a sufficient weight or density to achieve the desired weight forbody 15 to allow body 15 to stay securely positioned on a piece offurniture despite it or the pillow or decorative object to which it isattached being bumped or otherwise subject to moderate force by peopleusing the furniture as will herein be described. When designed in thisconfiguration, top 7 and bottom 10 portions of body 15 will have asufficient seal at the edges thereof to maintain all of the desiredfilling (not shown) inside the interior of body 15 despite any shaking,tugging or other force that body 15 may encounter during use. Body 15 ispreferably from 1 to 12 inches in diameter, and more preferably between2 and 4 inches in diameter, and with a thickness T of from ¼ to 3inches, and more preferably from approximately ¾ to 1 inch.

In addition to a weighted filling to achieve the desired weight of body15 as will herein be described, body 15 may also be “stuffed” with asoft filling to allow body 15 to compress under the weight of a userleaning on the pillow when placed on a sofa or other piece of furniture,preventing body 15 from being felt by the user as an uncomfortable hardobstacle hidden behind the pillow (see FIG. 6).

Although shown herein with a round top/bottom profile of approximately2-4 inches in diameter, it will be understood that body 15 can take anyshape and size sufficient to achieve the function of securely anchoringan attached pillow or other decorative item in an upright position on apiece of furniture. For example, the top profile can be square,triangular, octagonal, ovoid, or any number of different shapes, and thediameter or major axis length can range from 1 inch to 12 inches ormore, provided that body 15 is preferably smaller than an averagedecorative pillow to allow the device to be hidden discretely behind thepillow or other decorative object while in use, While body 15 isdescribed with a preferred thickness of from ¾ to 1 inch, it will alsobe understood that body 15 may have a much greater or lesser thickness Tprovided that body 15 is not so thick as to “push” the bottom of apillow or other decorative object away from the surface of the furniturewhile in use, yet is thick enough so that body 15 can comprise asufficient weight to serve the desired purpose of securing a pillow, orother decorative object to the surface of a piece of furniture as willherein be described. Body 15 may, for example, be a “flat” square padformed of a non-skid material having a weight sufficient to achieve thedesired functionality of body 15. The preferred weight range for body 15is from 1 to 12 ounces, and most preferably approximately 4 ounces. Thefilling material 16 may be any type of material capable of achieving thedesired weight of body 15 within the desired size and profile of body15, and a preferred filling material is natural aquarium gravel,preferably hot sealed in plastic to prevent it from spilling during use.In other preferred embodiments, such, as that shown in FIG. 9, thefilling is sand. Ball bearings, uncooked beans, other small metal orpolymer pellets or any other material known in the art sufficient forthis purpose may also be utilized as filling as will be understood.

In addition, body 15 need not be formed from joinder of separate top 7and bottom 10 pieces, but may be instead a single unitary element eitherwrapped around or coexistent with an internal constituent (not shown)that possesses the weight necessary to achieve the desired functionalityfor body 15. Alternatively, body 15 may be formed of a single unitarycomponent that possesses the desired weight and anti-skidcharacteristics as will herein be described.

For example, FIGS. 7-9 show a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention wherein the seal between top and bottom portions is shown indetail. In the instant embodiment, body portion 115 is formed of tworound elements, a top 107 and a bottom 110, wherein top 107 is formedwith an outer lip 107 a (best shown in FIG. 9) which folds up and overthe outer edge of bottom 110 and is sealed thereupon by sewing, anadhesive, or other attachment means known in the art.

At least one surface of body 15 is preferably formed from a non-skidmaterial such as polyurethane, rubber, polymer, micro- or nano-fibrillarmaterials or other high surface friction possessing material. Although apolyurethane sticky gel pad is preferred, any material which canreliably adhere to a low-friction surface such as vinyl or leather undermoderate stress, and which preferably is flexible enough to mold to theexterior surface of body 15 and provide a sufficiently comfortablesitting or leaning surface when placed behind a coach pillow, is capableof being utilized for the present invention. In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 7-9, bottom surface 110 is formed of a sticky gel pad material.Further, it is not required that the entirety of one or more surfaces ofbody 15 are formed from non-skid material as described herein. Forexample, as referenced above, in a preferred embodiment, top 7 andbottom 10 of body 15 are formed from marine vinyl, preferably two 2-4inch rounds joined together at their edges, wherein bottom 10 of body 15further comprises a polyurethane sticky gel pad, preferably a 1-3 inchround, adhered to bottom 10 with a permanent adhesive of the type knownin the art. Thus it will be understood that the non-skid characteristicsof bottom 10 may only extend across a portion of either top 7 or bottom10. In the preferred embodiment described herein, the materials used toform body 15 (as well as the remainder of the device) are waterproof inorder to allow the device to be cleaned with water, such as in the casewhere a polyurethane sticky gel pad is used as a non-skid element ofbody 15, and such a pad is cleaned from lint or other debris by runningit under water.

FIGS. 1-3 and 8 further illustrate the attachment means between body 15and the decorative abject or pillow to which body 15 will be attachedduring use. Specifically, attachment means preferably comprises anattachment device 9 and a linkage arm 8 securing attachment device 9 tobody 15. Although shown in FIGS. 1-3 as a clip akin to a clothespin, itwill be understood that attachment device 9 may comprise any form ofremovable, non-damaging attachment means for securing an object to apillow or other hard or soft decorative element, such as a hook and lookfastener (i.e. Velcro™), etc. Moreover, depending on the type ofattachment device 9, arm 8 may be eliminated or of varying lengths toallow attachment device 9 to be coexistent with or a specified distanceaway from body 15. In the embodiment shown in, i.e. FIG. 1, arm ispreferably a cord having a length of approximately 1-5 inches to allowattachment device 9 to be flexibly secured to a pillow or otherdecorative object 11 (with reference to FIG. 6). In alternativeembodiments, arm 8 may be formed of an elastic band or other materialshaving varying degrees of elasticity to allow body 15 to maintain itsposition on a piece of furniture despite stresses applied to pillow 11by a person sitting on the furniture. In another preferred embodiment,attachment device 9 may be formed from a swivel bull dog clip of thetype known in the art. Arm 8 may he of various lengths and includeattachment points for manufacturer tags, etc.

Attachment device 9 may be formed of any material, including plastic or,in preferred embodiments, metal. In the embodiment shown FIG. 8, arm 8may be a fabric, plastic, vinyl or polyurethane (or other flexiblematerial known in the art) “tag” with a rectangular metal loop at oneend for attachment by the attachment device 9 using a flexible cord.

In use, then, and with reference to FIGS. 4-6, attachment device 9 isaffixed to pillow (or other decorative object) 11, preferably at a loweredge of the rear thereof, prior to said pillow 11 being placed on a lowfriction surface such as a leather chair or sofa, as shown in FIG. 4. Ascan be seen, the inventive cushion securing device according to thepresent invention can be moved from pillow to pillow by attachment anddetachment of attachment device 9. Once body 15 is secured to pillow 11via attachment means 9, pillow (or other decorative object 11) can beplaced on the surface of a sofa or other piece of furniture with theentirety of the device including body 15 and attachment means 9, hiddenbehind it. This arrangement is shown in FIG. 6 wherein body 15 ispreferably placed at the corner of seat back 14 and seating surface 12;in FIG. 6 body 15 is shown behind furniture arm 13.

In the position shown in FIGS. 5-6, the device, when secured to the backof a pillow 11 at its lower edge, by virtue of the weight and non-skidbottom surface 10 of body 15, prevents the bottom edge of the pillow 11from sliding forward to a lie-flat position on the seating surface 12 ofthe furniture on which the pillow 11 is arranged as may otherwise be thenatural physical reaction of pillow 11, over time, to being placed on alow friction surface such as a leather sofa. However it is alsoenvisioned that other attachment positions between body 15 and pillow(or other decorative item) 11 can achieve the same desired effect.

While the device disclosed herein is particularly useful for use insecuring decorative objects, it is within the scope of the inventiondisclosed herein to adapt the device to use in other fields.

This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, oradaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, thisapplication is intended to cover such departures from the presentdisclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art towhich this invention pertains.

I claim:
 1. A device for securely attaching and maintaining the positionof a decorative object on a seating surface, the device comprising: aweighted body portion; and a removable attachment mechanism; whereinsaid body portion comprises at least one surface constructed of anon-skid material.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said weighted bodyportion comprises a sealed body tilled with a filling material.
 3. Thedevice of claim 2, wherein said filling material is sand.
 4. The deviceof claim 2, wherein said sealed body additionally comprises a topportion and a bottom portion, wherein an outer lip of said top portionfolds around outer edges of said bottom portion and radially inwardalong an outer, surface of said bottom portion, and is sealed thereon toform a secure closure.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein said outer lipof said top portion is sewn to said outer surface of said bottomportion.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein said removable attachmentmechanism is configured to attach to a pillow.
 7. The device of claim 1,wherein said body portion is sized to fit underneath a throw pillowresting on a piece of furniture without obstruction a position of saidthrow pillow on said piece of furniture.
 8. The device of claim 1,wherein said removable attachment mechanism comprises a clip means forremovable attachment to a soft surface, and a flexible connectorreleasably securing said clip meats to said weighted body portion. 9.The device of claim 8, wherein said clip means is made of metal.
 10. Thedevice of claim 8, wherein said clip means is made of plastic.
 11. Thedevice of claim 4, wherein said outer lip of said top portion is adheredto said outer surface of said bottom portion using an adhesive.
 12. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein said weighted body portion is between 1 and12 inches in diameter.
 13. The device of claim 12, wherein said weightedbody portion is between 2 and 4 inches in diameter.
 14. The device ofclaim 1, wherein said weighted body portion has a thickness T of from ¼to 3 inches.
 15. The device of claim 14, wherein said thickness T isbetween ¾ and 1 inch.